Although some called Apple’s third generation iPad a relatively “modest” update to its popular predecessor, sales for its opening weekend were through the roof. Apple announced this afternoon that 3 million iPads since have been sold since it was officially launched on Friday morning.

“The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold?the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple SVP of Worldwide Marketing. “Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad, including the stunning Retina display, and we can't wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday.”

To put those numbers into perspective, Samsung -- third place in tablet sales behind Apple and Amazon -- shipped a mere 1.5 million Android-based tablets during all of Q4 2011 according to IDC.

quote: iTunes iPod iPhone iPad. Remove them tomorrow and it wouldn't make a difference. No Bill Gates? We might as well be cavemen smashing rocks together.

This is cute considering that Gates' company started off by writing software for the existing Apple II and the Mac (which his company then spent the next six years making a copy of their own). Popular computing would have happened with or without him, or any number of companies out there, he was just the most ruthless businessman of the bunch. Personal computing is certainly owed much more to Wozniak.

Finding first big success seems to be a good measure of "starting out" for me. Does the incorporation date work better for you? It doesn't change the point.

Everybody knows that Microsoft wrote software for the Altair, but they didn't really start to make money until they started writing applications for the Apple II, and then MS-DOS for IBM hardware and Mac software following that. They were probably the largest Mac developer until they started going into operating systems.

How does them writing for the Altair change the core argument? It doesn't, it is arguing semantics.

quote: The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products,[2] designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.) and introduced in 1977 .

quote: Established on April 4, 1975 to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800 , Microsoft rose to dominate the home computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems.

How can you even say this stuff and think you can get away with it. You're completely rewriting history.

quote: Popular computing would have happened with or without him

We can't know that. Before Microsoft OEM's like Apple and IBM wanted to sell PC's with proprietary software that were not compatible with other brands. By making software, not bundled hardware, the standard in computing Microsoft changed the game forever. Windows was the driver of the computer revolution. I'm sorry you cannot accept that the most significant advancement in computing technology came from someone you claim had a "lack of vision".

quote: Learn your history.

LOL I have, not sure what "history" you're talking about seeing as how you flat out made stuff up.

quote: We can't know that. Before Microsoft OEM's like Apple and IBM wanted to sell PC's with proprietary software that were not compatible with other brands. By making software, not bundled hardware, the standard in computing Microsoft changed the game forever. Windows was the driver of the computer revolution. I'm sorry you cannot accept that the most significant advancement in computing technology came from someone you claim had a "lack of vision".

Indeed that was MS big 'business' innovation. And of course this lead to an entire world of others. Innovation and vision are not exclusive. To say the B.Gates was not innovative is a bit of a stretch. But to be fair he was far better at business acumen and execution then predicting and steering the future. Watch the All Things D video of Steve and Bill on stage together from a couple of years ago. It is telling. Also read Bill's book "The Road Ahead" and look at the world as it is now. Bill was a great business leader and had the vision to build a great American company. Ultimately I would bet he personally is remembered for his philanthropy far more the how exactly he made his billions.

Oh and indeed MS was founded to write software for the Altair. But from about 77' until their famous DOS deal in 81' their Apple II software was a HUGE part if not the largest part of their business.

quote: But to be fair he was far better at business acumen and execution then predicting and steering the future. Watch the All Things D video of Steve and Bill on stage together from a couple of years ago. It is telling. Also read Bill's book "The Road Ahead" and look at the world as it is now. Bill was a great business leader and had the vision to build a great American company. Ultimately I would bet he personally is remembered for his philanthropy far more the how exactly he made his billions.

Oh and indeed MS was founded to write software for the Altair. But from about 77' until their famous DOS deal in 81' their Apple II software was a HUGE part if not the largest part of their business.

My points exactly, thank you. He was a great businessman. His vision for the future was secondary and often incorrect, which again is why Microsoft operates the way that it does, breaking into existing markets rather than defining them themselves.

quote: Watch the All Things D video of Steve and Bill on stage together from a couple of years ago. It is telling.

I watched over it again. The difference in terms of how straightforward, cogent, and accurate Jobs was over Gates is pretty crazy. For years Gates has been talking about projectors on every wall in people's houses, pie in the sky ideas that have no bearing on practical reality.

What he is talking about here foretells popular adoption of the cloud (over a decade later) as well as coming wireless communication appliances like smartphones and tablets that take advantage of it. This foresight was converted to products that are generating billions of dollars. This foresight and the ability to manifest it is again in stark contrast with the conservative and relatively rudderless mentality of Microsoft (again with the exception of putting Metro into Windows 8, a ballsy move). Microsoft's strengths are following the path of other companies and then using their dominant market position to allow them to catch up. It happened with operating systems, game consoles, PMPs, and now smartphones and tablets.

Carving out a new path isn't their core strength, but it doesn't really need to be either, they are still a profitable company that makes good products.

The man had no more clear tech vision than Gates, nice try. Again, until 2001 with the iPod, Apple had never had a singular product of any kind that excelled the Microsoft equivalent. Unless his vision was to get absolutely dominated for 25+ years in market share, profits, and tech influence.

Your argument is biased and absurd, so is all the so-called "supporting evidence". Jobs had crazy ideas too. So what? Some of the things we take for granted today were ones pretty "crazy" ideas.

It just seems like you'll say anything to disparage what Gates has done for the tech industry. Not surprising given your unapologetic deity-like adoration for all things Apple.